The New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justitia. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1873. THE EDUCATION QUESTION IN OTAGO.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 28, 8 November 1873, Page 6

The New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justitia. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1873. THE EDUCAT ION QUESTION IN OTAGO.

There is no doubt that Otago exercises considerable influence in the Colonial Legislature, particularly on the subject of education. This is our reason for discussing in this paper such a local question as is indicated by our heading. It has always been the boast of the people of this Province that they were ahead of all the other Provinces iv the provision made for the instruction of youth— they call it education ; bat we ' abstain from the use of the word because the term is, under the circumstances, misapplied. Education, in the true sense of the term, means the training of man's powers and faculties, and cannot be said to exist in reality, when or ly mere instruction of the intellect is given, to the exclusion or neglect of the moral faculties, such as the will and affections. Education essentially means the training of a man. Men are not made carpenters, for example, by reading a book on carpentry, or listening to dissertations on operations to be gone through by a carpenter. Practice must accompany theory, or the result, if any, will be mischievous. And so it is in reference to education ; without the careful training of the moral and religious faculties, there is no education : and for such training the Province of Otago has made no provision whatever. It has, indeed, provided schools — common, grammar High, and University— and endowed them liberally • but ; these are to teach literature and science, without reference to religion. At all events, they pretend to no more. And it is insanely imagined that such institutions are to turn out educated people. There are, of course, men who ignore religion altogether, and regard it as an obstacle rather than a help to education. But they are few— so few amidst the multitade of men who have acted on the contrary principle as to deserve to be viewed in the light of a lusus naturae Amougst men of all times and places religion has always held the most important place in education. This is not denied • but when these men to whom we refer ignore religion it is the Christian, particularly the Roman Catholic, religion they mean ; and in order to do harm to this religion they uadertake, in their fury, an impossibility—that is to educate a nation independently of religion of any sort. They tell us of course they do not mean anything of the sort— that, on the contrary, they are, if not anxious, at least very willing that the rising generation should be instructed in the Christian doctrine. Their only object is, they say to banish religious training from the school-room and confine it to the church and the parson and the poor mother's knee The only justification for the interference of the State in the matter of education is the necessity, in order to the well-beino-of the State, of having moral, orderly subjects. But the expectation of obtaining such without religious training is a delusion ; and yet this very State which pretends, at least amongst Christians, to set such a hi-h value on religious training, and to regard its influence ns so important in providing good citizens, sets itself to interpose obstacles to religious teaching. In one country it confiscates church property, : in another it banishes religious teachers, in almost all by laws, by the ignoring of religious corporations, by heavy imposts, it renders it extremely difficult for religious people to provide and secure even sites for churches and schools, and in a thousand petty, teasing ways, endeavours to disgust men,, and discourage them in their laudable and disinterested efforts to provide religious education. The vaunted anxiety for religious education is, then, a mere pretence, meant to mask It deadly assault on the Christian religion. But if iv Otago provision for religious education is want ing, there, is also one other tbiug in reference to education wanting; and that to which we ref«r is worth attending to Government, as has been said above, has made very generous provision for education. But thank it for nothing. It was enabled to do this without imposing sacrifices on itself or on the individuals who make up our Provincial community. It has charge of a noble Coionial landed estate, and out of this it hßs magnanimously helped its Province to a princely property for educational purposes; But where are the private endowments $ Most men have done well here — very many from small beginnings have amassed large fortunes. How many of these have shown „heir gratitude to the Province in which they flourished, art i^ir appreciation of education, by

founding or endowing, wholly or in part, even one school, or a chair in the University ? There is much fine writing and speaking about education, and no end of boasting of what has been done in the Province ; but whence the merit, and what great praise is due to men who have been so generous to themselves with that which ha 3 cost them nothing, or next to nothiug ? Dunedin is just now affording a striking illustration of our meaning. A fourth primary school is urgently required in this city. The Provincial Government has granted £3000 for the erection of n fourth school, but a site cannot be procured. The Government has no land suitable, and the Corporation does not see its way to part with municipal land fur the purpose,— and rhe consequence is, the building of the school is postponed. No site, it appears, is to be had ; no landed proprietor in this city of education-loving people comes forward to show his appreciation of education by presenting his fellow-citizens with a'site for a school which a generous Province is prepared to erect for their use at an expenditure of £3000. But what is more wonderful still, is that it never entered into the heads of the persons for whose especial benefit this school is to be erected, to meet and by public subscription raise sufficient funds to purchase a site for a school for tneir own children. They would have no objection that the Province should superadd to the £3©oo silready granted for their benefit another £3000 or so to provide a site for them ; but their doing this themselves is, it appears, not to be thought of. They have appealed to the Corporation to save their pockets, and an attempt has been made to bully that body into acquiescence ; but no effort has been made by those gentrj to d > what is manifestly their own duty. Those who reside at a distance will measure these people's love and appreciation of education by the sacrifices they make for its promotion. We have another illustration. The High School here is generally acknowledged to be a failure, and an agitation has been set on foot against it. In this we have not joined, and up to the present we Lave not even noticed it. And the | reason is because we do not believe it to be buna fide ; somehow or another we cannot divest ourselves of the feeling, j amounting almost to conviction, that the assault on the In- \ stitutiou- is only a mask to an attack on the Rector, and our i nature revolts from *uch meannees and cowardice. No doubt the High School is a class institution, and we cannot deny that the arguments Hdduced to prove that it is unjust to compel the ratepayers of the Province to contribute more than two-thirds of its expense ai-e unanswerable, still we are not so sure that if a change of staff could be effected by agitators there would not then be found plausible arguments for"" giving t..« school one more trial .it least. For this reason we are, at present at all events, perfectly indifferent on the subject. But we mention the matter for the purpose of discussing a proposition that has been made in some quarters in reference to the school buildings. What has been proposed is this : discontinue the High School as a Government institution, for it is said the krjre money contributions and the prestige given it by Government virtually con/er on it a monopoly of higher education, to the injury of private at id proprietary schools, and thus render competition impossible. So far, jLhis is admirable, but observe what follows. When the High School shall cease to exist, thea there will be a clear, stage and no favour for private and proprietary schools; but' as many, if imt nil, of these will be denominational, and as there are mauy people who object to send their sons to denominational schools, Jet the present buildings be banded over to these gentlemen for su, undenominational school. That is it is proposed, in order that there may be fair play, that private individuals* and denominations shall, if so minded pro*?n i tkir " w » eX . pe T' grounds, buildings, &c, and that £20,000 worth of school property shall be handed over to the undeuominatio.iahst<. Worthy, heaven-sent people that they are ! This is m perfect keeping with the tactics of secularists everywhere. They, und they alone, in their own estimation are to be favoured and pampered by the State. Why do not sdcu'arists follow the example of denominations, and put their hands into their pockets to provide secular schools for themselves, ho, they never dream of anything" of the sort • they love education so much that it never occurs to them tj contribute anything to the cause, except the efforts they make to compel their fellow citizens to provide them with that system of education which they love, and yet for which they never contribute anything out of their private means It may be, however, that this is but a feint, and that what we suspected is after all tlio real design. It may be that this

proposition as put forward for the purpose of destroying the institution for a time, and of then resuscitating it on the old footing under new management. Be this, however, as it may the propositions of the secularists is audacious, and such as could only emanate from that self-sufficient body of sciolists and theorists.